


Midnight Love

by deeinthestars



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28137336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deeinthestars/pseuds/deeinthestars
Summary: At just 21 years old, you're a graduated student with a master's degree in psychology. After finding journals by your absent father after your mother passes, you realize that you're not as normal as you thought you might be.Dumbledore offers you a new position: Care of Extraordinary Witches and Wizards. You start to care for the students, you get along with most of the staff. All but one. Severus Snape. The potions master seems cold and distant, so why do you feel warm inside every time you make eye contact with him, despite having an argument every other day? And why do you feel like your feelings for once might not be one-sided?
Relationships: Severus Snape/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	1. New Beginnings

Dumbledore was quite stunned when you applied for a position at Hogwarts which frankly… did not exist. You were muggle-born as far as you knew and didn’t know of the existence of anything even closely relating to magic until your mother passed away. You had discovered some books hidden in the basement outlining your absent father’s family history he wanted no part in. You didn’t know the man, only knew he wanted nothing to do with you. Instead of going to him for answers, you wanted to thrust yourself into the world completely.

It wasn’t that you wanted to be close to your father, but you did want to know every part of yourself. At 21 years old, you had been a determined student until you graduated only a month ago. Already received your master’s in psychology, you could have your pick of places to work at and then start moving towards your own practice. But after finding all of this out about your family you never knew, it wasn’t enough anymore. 

So here you find yourself at Hogwart’s doorstep. Dumbledore welcomes you as a very large man nods to you and helps you with your bags. “Welcome to Hogwarts, miss. We’re so delighted to have you here. We know the students will show you the utmost respect. I’ll make sure of it.”

You give a small chuckle and nod back to the very tall and courteous man next to you. “Oh, I’ve worked with children many times. I’m excited to get to know each and every student who needs help from me. I’d love the chance to teach every student techniques for dealing with their emotions. At that age, they can be so complex.” 

There had never been a therapist or counselor in the history of Hogwarts, but when meeting with Dumbledore, he was delighted at the idea and wondered why he never hired someone like you before. So he titled the position “Care to Extraordinary Witches and Wizards.” It wasn’t a class, but you would meet with students during crises, when they feel they needed to talk, or when a professor was having a particularly hard time getting two students to get along. Some you would meet regularly with, others only once in a while. It was your goal to get Dumbledore to let you teach a class every few months so you could teach emotional literacy and how to properly process emotions. And in time with more learning on your part, you’d like to teach them how to channel their emotions into magic.

Dumbledore also wanted you to observe classes at your will, since you had never taken a magical class before. You had noticed you were different of course, always obsessed with herbs, candles, and other traditionally witchy things. You even made tinctures and healing ointments, preferring your creations to over the counter medications. All of the staff knew you would be sitting in, and the headmaster informed you that everyone was most excited to have you there and teach you different things.

“Please feel free to settle in. We do things quite early, so in thirty minutes we will have breakfast and I will be delighted to announce your arrival to the staff and students.” He gave you a friendly grin, stalking off down the hall, his robes trailing behind him. 

You turned to the man who previously introduced himself as Hagrid, who was clearly stifling a sneeze. “Are you-”

He let out a giant sneeze which caused you to almost jump out of your skin and make even the walls tremble. “I ‘pologize, miss… I don’ usually sneeze.. Ah- Do you-”

“What? You didn’t see?” You unlatch a crate he was carrying and a highly annoyed Glimmer runs into your arms, jolted by the trip. “Are you allergic or something?”

“I love animals, but cats make me sneeze li’ crazy. I should ‘robably go in this case, but I’ll see you around.” He nodded at you, sneezing another two times down the hallway, causing some seriously sleepy students to let out a large groan.

You couldn’t help but giggle a little even though you felt bad. He was a warm man and you hoped to work with him a lot more, but you’d be sure to keep your cat away. You filed inside your room with your two large suitcases and of course Glimmer. She immediately jumped on your bed and you gave her a little kiss on the top of her head, causing her to purr and start kneading the blankets happily. The room would need a lot more sprucing up, but you were happy to find a fireplace in your rooms, which you would most certainly take advantage of. 

You wandered over to the mirror, fixing your tan coat which was almost floor-length. You also had on a skirt that went down past your knee. It featured a small slit going down it, which made no difference because you had black stockings on, contrasting your white long-sleeved top, which had ruffles going down the arms and a matching skinny white tie that was attached going just past your chest. 

The truth was, you were extremely nervous. You didn’t think you would ever end up being a school therapist, certainly not a magical one. Your goal was always to help teenagers and young adults going through a rough period in their life. You were bullied all throughout school, but in college, you found your confidence. Mostly you had been bullied for being plus-sized and a bit weird. You obsessed over things like books, movies, TV shows, and crystals regularly fell out of your bra when you bent over. While you lost a bit of weight when you started hiking to go out in nature more, you still had wide hips, thick thighs, and a bit of a tummy. You hoped to god that the staff and students would like you, or at least ignore you while you found out who your family really was.

“Be back later, Glimmy. Wish me luck?” She gave a convincing purr which raised your spirits, and you gave her another kiss in return.

As you exited the door, you gave a sigh, calming the anxiety that was stirring in your chest. All was going to be fine because this was where you belonged. That’s just what you were going to have to tell yourself before you believed it.


	2. Getting Sorted

“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts,” Dumbledore began, eliciting a giant grin from all houses alike except from many children seated at the Slytherin table. Still, some couldn’t keep a smile from forming on their faces. Dumbledore was most respected at the school, although there were some rumors he was too old. Some believed he was a tad bit off his rocker, but you noticed how the other professors looked at him with admirement, especially Professor McGonagall.

“This year you will be tested to the furthest of your abilities by our most experienced professors, your house will compete in our sports, and you will earn house points by being brave, doing the right thing, and above all, excelling in your studies…” You hadn’t met the professors yet, but they were all giving you glances of encouragement. Hagrid was there too, but he ensured a safe distance away from you, lest you have a stray cat hair on your shoulder.

“With a final note, I would like to introduce Professor L/N, who will be taking on a brand new position, Care to Extraordinary Witches and Wizards. She will be teaching how to control and express your emotions, channel them into your magic, and become the most self-aware young witch or wizard you can be.” There was a steady stream of applause.

You give a nod to Dumbledore and all of the students seated in front of you. With a snap of his fingers, giant plates of food were presented in front of you. “Wow…” you let out. You had never seen some of this food in your life, but mostly because you were from the states. You identified Yorkshire pudding, steak and kidney pie, black pudding, pumpkin juice, and beef casserole. There were also more familiar foods such as mashed potatoes with gravy, roast beef, and sausages. You made a plate of your own and realized that the professors were stealing glances at you. They were curious.

You offered a glance to them, giving a small smile. “I’m very excited to work with you all,” you said, watching them pile food onto their own plate. “And learn from you of course.. I assume Dumbledore told you I wasn’t exactly schooled in magic?”

“Oh yes, of course dear,” Professor McGonagall said, a hint of pity in her voice. “Your… father studied here, yes?”

“I assume. I never really knew him… one day I found these books of his and well, they linked back to the school. I think whoever he was or is, he wants me to be here.”

A man with almost shoulder-length black hair cleared his throat. “And your… qualifications?” He looked you up and down, which sent a chill running down your spine. It wasn’t anything untoward, men in any sort of power looked at you like that all of the time. Because of your age.

You stopped to take in his features. You could tell he was tall just by him sitting down, he had black eyes you could stare forever at, and somewhat prominent smile lines. Dressed in all black. 

“Severus,” McGonagall warned.

“Oh, that’s okay. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and I did a Master’s in Psychology as well, with a focus on development. I assure you Professor, I do know how to guide these children whether it be in their difficult emotions, help with their home life, or channeling themselves safely into their magic.”

A chuckle from Hagrid, when after realizing, he looked away in embarrassment. You had a feeling this professor… Severus? Was not used to being challenged.

He only gave a small, unsatisfied nod.

“My dear, and at your young age? What an accomplishment!” Professor Sprout guffawed, albeit most respectfully. Not like Severus at all.

“Well.. yes. I’ve always known what I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it as soon as possible.” You blushed, the compliment meaning a lot coming from her. She was warm and you could feel the kind energy radiating from her. She was also one of the best Herbologists the world had ever seen. You made a mental note to make it a point to observe some of her classes.

-

“Who was that last night?” you asked Professor McGonagall on the way to your first class. After spending twenty minutes being utterly confused by the staircases switching, you only had time to eat a few pieces of fruit. 

“Oh, Severus? Yes, that’s Professor Snape. He’s not very friendly, but he’s good at what he does. You won’t be friends, dear… but try not to get too offended at the things he says.” She squeezed your arm and before you knew it, she took the form of a cat, stalking into her classroom to no doubt scare her students. 

You gave a sigh, flattening out your skirt and fumbling with your ring. It was time.

You walked into your class, walking down the aisle with fake-confidence and writing your name in cursive with your wand. It was seven inches long, and it looked like a great twisting tree branch, except it was pitch black and looked dipped in gold. 

“Hello class, my name is Professor L/N, and I will be teaching you what I like to call emotional literacy.”

A hand shot up.

“Yes, Ms. White?”

“Is it true you’re a muggle? My mom says you are, and says that the only muggles that should be teaching at Hogwarts are ones teaching Muggle Studies,” she says matter of factly. 

You cleared your throat, glancing at all the first years and hopped up on your desk. Some of the other students were horrified at the Slytherin, and others leaned forward to learn the truth.

“No, Ms. White, I am not a muggle. I was born to a muggle, my mother, and I only found out I was a witch a short time ago. I also just wrote on the board with my wand, so that should disprove any nonsensical theory that I’ve snuck into Hogwarts without any magic at all. Is that sufficient enough explanation for you?” You had a kind tone, but it was in warning. You refused to let anyone step over you, even the children. Boundaries were a must.

She gave a fast nod, her cheeks red from blushing in embarrassment. 

“Good, then let’s begin. Can anyone tell me why it might be dangerous to cast a spell while angry?”

-

“Very good, class. Please don’t forget your homework, it’s due the day after tomorrow!” As your students shuffled and well, more like ran out of your class, you found an owl circling your classroom, dropping a note on your desk, and flying out the window. Hadn’t you closed that?

The note had Dumbledore’s seal.

“Dear Professor L/N,

Once again, welcome to Hogwarts. I hope your first class went well. We only have a small problem, that being your house. You have none! Please come to my office before dinner and we shall get you all sorted. Get it?

Regards,  
Albus Dumbledore”

Thankfully your next classes weren’t all first years, so you got less prying questions, but from then on you decided to introduce yourself and explain a bit about your life. Many of the students were muggle-born and half-bloods as well, so you hoped they could relate to you in some way. Some Slytherins weren’t too happy about you not being a pure-blood, but it was no matter. They’d just have to warm to you. 

You wanted to earn the trust of every student, if possible. Of course by the end of the day you were exhausted, but when you fell into your chair, a giant smile was across your face. You were doing it. The thing you wanted to do all your life, and it felt like heaven. Taking six or seven classes per semester, studying so you tested out of classes, and doing all that while working full-time… it was worth it. While in school, your ultimate dream would be having your own practice for young adults, but this was so much better. It felt like a home. It felt safe.

You let out a long yawn, gathering your books and heading to your room so you could feed Glimmer before heading down to Dumbledore’s office. Of course she was your familiar, but she didn’t get along with most people, which of course you deeply understood. She’d probably scare the children.

As you unlocked the door, you saw Glimmer rise up in anger. You shook your head and laughed, closing the door as she straightened out and jumped into your arms, realizing you were not an intruder. The co-dependent minx. You stroked her glossy coat and chuckled. “Just me, sweetie.” You set her down, going into your bag you still haven’t unpacked and put food into her bowl. You went to your dresser, changing out of your teaching clothes and putting on blue jeans and a hand-knit sweater, slightly tucking it into your pants. “I’ll be back after dinner, I have to get… sorted.”

Glimmer gave an unsatisfied noise but kept eating. You shook your head again, leaving your room and immediately regretting you didn’t put on another layer. Was it always this cold here?

On your way to Dumbledore’s office, you caught Professor Snape on a ladder organizing his potions. He still had his black robe on, which makes every step he takes just a bit more dramatic. He was staring at something purple, but for some reason you couldn’t take your gaze off of him. That is, until he looks down at you. And you thought you were out of sight. “Can I help you…. Professor?” He raised one crooked brow, pursing his lips in dissatisfaction.

“N-No, sorry.” Your face got hot, and you walked so fast to Dumbledore’s office it could almost be seen as a run.

“Dumbledore?” you called, looking all over the room. There were bookshelves upon bookshelves that seemed to be overflowing with different texts. You turned your head, reading the names of the different tomes.

“Just setting up in here, come sit down!”

You followed his voice and greeted him with a smile, cautiously sitting down in the red chair he provided. 

“Now… when I place this hat on your head, it will sort you into either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. I assume you’ve studied up on the history of the houses?”

You nod. “Extensively.” Your heart began to race. What if you get Slytherin? You never had thought about being evil, but it seems like all the bad apples come from there. After all, what house was your father in? What kind of man was he? You stop his arm before he can place the hat on your head. “It just…. knows? Just like that? It won’t make a mistake?”

“It knows,” is all he offers.

The Sorting Hat is placed on your head and gives a large chuckle. “Yes, yes… Y/N you are a clever one indeed… you have great academic success but… what’s this? These insecurities aren’t very Slytherin-like!” You let out a large sigh.

“You have limits to what you’ll do to get ahead, not arrogant, extremely sensitive…. Much patience, unwavering loyalty…” It seems to go on and on, and you realize this hat is most certainly inside of your head. It freaks you out more than just a little bit.

“Hufflepuff!”


End file.
